The National Conference Center Blog

Posts Tagged ‘buy local’

In the hospitality and meetings industry, green travel is becoming a new statement. Even in hotel lounges, cocktails that are made locally are becoming a trend. Hotels and conference centers are purchasing domestic wines, spirits and more. It’s no longer impressive to clients if the wine is from Italy and more impressive to eat and drink food grown locally. As the CEO of Loews Hotel said, “Gourmet is going green” (Hotels Embrace “Buy Local” Mandate). On property, our own lounges serve locally made drinks such as Catoctin Creek, a Virginia distillery. We’ve included 3 hot toddies recipes from our January client tasting with Catoctin Creek. Warm up to these locally made drinks this Valentine’s Day Weekend (and enjoy being green):

Coat bottom of mug with honey. Separately boil hot water and place green tea bag in separate mug. Add Rye and squeeze in lemon into mug with honey. Pour in hot green tea into mug with honey, Rye and lemon. Stir.

Innovative restaurants, hotels, and hospitality leaders are always predicting (or racing to provide) the next food and beverage trends for the industry. Learn what Executive Chef Craig Mason at The National Conference Center predicts as the 2011 Meal Trends, either as a popular trend or as a growing concept:

Sustainable local foods – The “Buy fresh, buy local” campaign has been marketed to us in grocery stores, but in restaurants you’ll begin to see menus and servers that emphasize where the food is from. Imported food is no longer impressive. Read “Farm-to-Fork: Greening Campuses & Hotels” to find out what Virginia farmers are doing to keep their produce local and in the commonwealth.

Taste the geography – As Chef says, “Let the food speak for itself.” Terroir is a French word that describes being able to taste the geography of a food. Similar to drinking wine and tasting the grape and the soil Chef explains it’s the concept of being able to know where it came from based on the taste. Foodies will start the trend, and learn the taste of what local produce tastes like. Soon, you’ll be able to decipher the difference.

Back to the basics - Salt, pepper, and garlic. According to Chef, menu items will no longer look fancy. Chefs will do away with pretty foods. Entrees will come to you naturally prepared with only salt, pepper, and garlic (and no other seasonings). This will also allow for you to experience a meal in it’s natural state before it was buttered down, and loaded with spices.

Year of the fish – Fish is one of the healthiest types of meat. Chef predicts a high demand in fish. You’ll notice restaurants incorporating more fish in their menus and steering away from red meats. Consumers purchasing fish will also be weary of “good” and “bad” fish listed on the Seafood Watch Program.

Quasimeals – Chipotle is a perfect example of quasi meals – fresh fast food. Quasi restaurants will begin to appear on the map but in other cuisines. Overall, fresh is in – even if it’s fast food.

More alcohol in cooking – Jack Daniels BBQ sauce is only the beginning. Chef sees 2011 as the year of cooking with alcohol. Chefs, cooks, and those cooking at home will begin to get creative with splashes of spirits, wine, and other alcoholic beverages in their meals. Leave behind the oils and butters, and add flavor with your favorite brew.

What do you see as a meal trend in 2011? Is there a concept that’s beginning to gain popularity now?